TOURISM

Once the second largest city in Queensland at the height of the gold rush, Charters Towers is now renowned for its historic character and appeal, and for its collection of beautifully preserved 19th and early 20th century buildings and streetscapes.

In June 2003, the new visitor experience ￿ Charters Towers ￿the Ghosts of Gold￿ has brought alive the city￿s historic gold rush heritage.

The new Visitor Information and Orientation Centre will help you discover how to make the most of your visit to Charters Towers. The Centre￿s interactive displays and audio-visual presentation are a fun way to learn more about the region￿s amazing past.

Walk the city￿s One Square Mile, an historic mining precinct of magnificent civic buildings of the era, including the Stock Exchange Arcade, World Theatre and Charters Towers Post Office. See the ￿Calling of the Card￿ audio presentation bring the Stock Exchange to life every hour.

On the outskirts of town, the Venus Gold Battery is the largest surviving battery relic in Australia. New interactive displays tell the story of Charters Towers, tell how the battery was used to extract gold, and explain how the battery￿s equipment was used. Take a tour with a guide and don￿t miss the ￿Ghosts of Gold￿ on the spectacular water screen.

Walk or drive to the top of Towers Hill for panoramic views over the city. Later this year, there are plans to screen a film every night under the stars, telling the story of Charters Towers.

Other popular attractions and activities include the Assay Room and Mining Museum, Ay Ot Lookout, Zara Clark Museum, farm stays on working cattle stations, cattle sales and fishing for barramundi at the nearby Burdekin Dam.

Charters Towers￿ heritage architecture is complemented by many modern facilities including a magnificent theatre hosting live performances and two cinemas; great restaurants, a range of tours and accommodation options.

VISITOR INFORMATION CENTRE

72 Mosman Street Charters Towers QLD 4820 Phone (07) 4752 0314 Fax (07) 4752 0315 Email: tourinfo@charterstowers.qld.gov.au

ACCOMMODATION

B & B￿s, motels, hotels, caravan parks and farm stays cater for all tastes and budgets.

THING TO DO...............PLACES TO GO

• Visit the Venus Gold Battery, the last intact gold milling site in the north.
• Visit Australia￿s first regional Stock Exchange built in the 1870￿s.
• Take a tour of the impressive World Theatre complex.
• Enjoy the magnificent view from Towers Hill.
• Discover the real Charters Towers on a guided driving tour.
• Visit Ay Ot Lookout and take a guided tour of this beautiful home.
• Explore historic buildings including the City Hall, Post Office, Church of Christ and Bell Tower.
• Drop into the magnificent Civic Club, once the domain of men only (a Gentleman￿s Club) it has the original billiard tables still in use.
• Historic houses and schools including Pfeiffer House, Tower Villa, Advent House, Mt Alma, Blackthorn College and St Marys College.
• Lissner and Centenary Parks.

OTHER PLACES TO VISIT

Driving along the sealed all weather road to Charters Towers you pass through the Dalrymple Shire. Call in and visit;

• Ravenswood, 88 kms south east of Charters Towers. This historic town mostly restored is home to about 30 locals and 300 miners. A modern gold mine still hums near the centre of town. The town is also home to a beautifully-restored court house, church and two original turn-of-the-century pubs.
• Toss a line for barramundi in the nearby Burdekin Dam. The dam is stocked every year with barra and a variety of fish. There is also a beautiful camping site.
• Camp on the Fletcher River. A crystal spring fed river that meanders its way to the mighty Burdekin River.
• Stay a day or 2 at a real life working cattle station. Meet the people from our cattle industry and experience their lifestyle.

HISTORY

Charters Towers, the town they call ￿The World￿ was born to the sound of thunder and flashes of lightening.

Hugh Mosman, George Clark, James Fraser and horseboy Jupiter had been prospecting away to the south of what is now Charters Towers when their horses scattered during a fierce thunderstorm. It was while searching for the horses next morning that the first Towers gold was discovered. The discovery point was just near the modern day intersection of Mosman Street, Rainbow Road and Black Jack Road and was at the end of the year 1871 or the very beginning of 1872.

The party returned to Ravenswood to register their find which they named Charters Towers.

Charters: for W.S.E.M. Charters, the Gold Commissioner - the big man from the Cape (Charters was said to be about 6'6" tall and weighed some 20 stone).

Towers: because of the conical shaped hills in the vicinity of the discovery.

A rush of ￿fortune seeking men￿ quickly followed and a small settlement named Millchester formed on the water at Gladstone Creek. By the end of 1872 some 3000 souls inhabited the new field. The alluvial men left early on for the Palmer River discoveries but the hard rock miners remained, seeking the gold in the deep veins underground. Charters Towers rather than Millchester soon became the main settlement.

The goldfield did not reach its speak of gold production until 1899. During the period 1872-1899 the place changed from a rough settlement with bark and calico buildings to a thriving City of some 25,000 inhabitants.

The City, by that time, had properly formed streets, some wonderful houses and many grand public buildings lining the two main streets. A plentiful supply of water for domestic and other purposes was pumped to the town from a Weir in the Burdekin River about 9 miles to the north. Underground electricity was also supplied to parts of the main town area.

Literally 100's of shafts were sunk during the lifetime of the field and the ore raised was processed through many large Treatment Batterys. It is estimated that 6,000,000 ounces of gold was won in the first 40 to 50 years of the life of the Towers.

All religions were strongly represented on the field and in 1890 the miners could quench their thirst in no less than 65 hotels registered on the field.

Sports, music and the arts all had fantastic followings. It was said that everything you might desire could be had in the Towers. There was no reason to travel elsewhere for anything. This is why the town became known affectionately as ￿The World￿.

The decline of mining following World War I saw the population shrink and the town become the supply centre or hub of the Dalrymple Shire as well as the educational centre for students from all over North Queensland.